Verizon asked regulators Friday for permission to stop automatically delivering telephone directories to all of its customers in New York.

With so many people getting phone numbers through the Internet or directory assistance, most households don’t actually use the thick, paper copies of the White Pages anymore.

Verizon says it could save 5,000 tons of paper a year by halting deliveries to people who don’t specifically request the directories. The company only distributes them now because it is required to by the state.